SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 03: Jason Motte #30 and Yadier Molina #4 of the St. Louis Cardinals high five one another after they beat the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on July 3, 2014 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)Jason Motte #30 and Yadier Molina #4 of the St. Louis Cardinals high five one another after they beat the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on July 3, 2014 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – The St. Louis Cardinals have placed right-handed pitcher Jason Motte on the 15-day disabled list today with a lower back sprain.

Motte’s D.L. is retroactive to August 1. The team has recalled left-handed pitcher Nick Greenwood from Memphis (AAA) who will join the team in Baltimore for tonight’s game. Motte began the season on the 15-day disabled list recovering from Tommy John surgery performed May 2013. He made his season debut on May 21, and since then has appeared in 23 games pitching 21.0 innings. Seventeen of Motte’s 23 outings out of the bullpen have been scoreless.

Greenwood, 27, will be joining the big league club for the second time this season, having appeared in nine games from June 15 – July 22. During that stretch he threw 19.0 innings for St. Louis, including the team’s longest outing by a reliever this year on June 28 at LA Dodgers when he went 4.0 innings (3H, 0R).

Greenwood made his Major League debut on June 16 vs. New York Mets, earning his first career win after pitching 3.1 innings (1R). At Memphis, the 6-1 lefthander is 4-4 with a 3.02 ERA having pitched 50.2 innings over 27 games with five starts. Greenwood wears uniform #62.